Pedro Rossello, on behalf of the nearly four million United States citizens living in Puerto Rico, has brought a claim against the United States in the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Rossello contends that the United States commits human rights violations periodically and in perpetuity against its own citizens in Puerto Rico, denying them the right to vote for President and Vice President, as well as denying them voting representation in Congress. Though the United States citizens in Puerto Rico are bound by federal law, they do not having voting representatives who can impact the law. Though these citizens fight for (and may be drafted to fight for) the United States overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan, they do not have the right to vote for their Commander in Chief.

FairVote will file an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of Petitioner Rossello. We urge the IACHR to issue precautionary measures ensuring the United Sates citizens living in Puerto Rico the right to vote for President and Vice President in 2008. FairVote further seeks to encourage the United States to remedy the situation by passing a Right to Vote Amendment, ensuring suffrage for all United States citizens. In light of the recent Bush v. Gore holding, the need to enshrine the right to vote in the Constitution is now more important than ever.

In Detroit, there have been three mayors in the past two years and the current one has come under scrutiny. Perhaps a system like instant runoff voting will help bring political stability to motor city.